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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · squash · kick · wake · root · mate · present · clip

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. present — a gift
  3. last — to go on
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. clip — a video
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. squash — to crush
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mate — a friend
  11. kick — in football
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mate — to breed
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. present — the time now
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. squash — the sport
  19. wake — a trail
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. present — there
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mate — a partner
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com